I would think (or at least hope) that even Russ's biggest detractors concede that he's probably at least mostly a good guy. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't be absolutely shocked if a video came out of him berating the wait staff at Denny's for giving him the wrong side item with his Grand Slam Breakfast. I do think he immensely enjoys his celebrity and spotlight, but he's one of the last professional athletes that I would expect to "Do you know who I am?" someone.
Even if he is a good guy though, he does seem decently removed from his days as the ultra-humbled underdog who overcame the odds and fought tooth and nail to become incredibly successful at one of the most difficult crafts in professional sports at a shockingly young age. As he went "Hollywood" his priorities seemed to shift, even if he was still saying the right things, it felt like he began to hold himself less accountable for his actions, and he showed an almost embarrassing lack of self-awareness. There's nothing inherently wrong with someone who prides themselves as a businessman giving exceptional care to their image; hell, it probably makes good business sense, but there's a reason Marshawn Lynch is held much higher in Seahawks fans lore as a personality. Russ is difficult to relate to. He comes off analogous to a politician.
Like most, my primary issue with Russ was the way he left. I'd be lying if I said I've never been in a situation in my life where things got kind of stale and played out and I was just wanting to move on. If Russ had come out and said "I appreciate the Seahawks organization for everything it has given me, and I will always be a Seahawk at heart, but there's a discrepancy in goals and visions moving forward, and both myself and the front office have agreed that it would be best for everyone to seek a trade to a new team", I would have respected that. Instead, Russ told the fans that he wanted to be a "Seahawk for life" while simultaneously using back channels to undermine the organization and force his way out. That was far less respectable. He cared too much about not being liked and it burned him.
He probably gets more hate that he deserves now, but a lot of the corniness and unflappable positivity that you find endearing when the player is on your team becomes grating when he's not. That's just the way things are. I mean, I couldn't be the only one who absolutely hated Pete Carroll at USC, and there nothing hateable about him. He's annoying because he beats your team and looks like he's having fun doing it. It comes off as smug, even if it really isn't.
It's very unlikely that I will ever refer to Russ as one of my all-time favorite Seahawks, but he is undeniably the best quarterback in franchise history, and if I'm fortunate enough to be in attendance at his Ring Of Honor induction, I'll be clapping and screaming as loudly as anyone there.
